Benjamin Joseph Ottewell (born 23 June 1976) is an English singer-songwriter. He is one of the three lead singers of the English

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Gomez. The band were the recipients of the Mercury Music Award Prize in 1998, and Ben is well known for his "deep, raspy voice" and "gravelly baritone". In 2011, Ottewell embarked upon a solo-project, with the debut album ''Shapes & Shadows''.

Career

Ottewell came into contact with Ian Ball (vocals, guitar) while the two were studying law at Sheffield University. Ball was impressed by Ben's big voice, and along with Tom Gray (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Paul Blackburn (bass), and Olly Peacock (drums, synths, computers), they formed the band Gomez. Ottewell's deep, soulful voice has gained him some acclaim and has drawn some comparisons to

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and artist

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, and his lyrical style, and acoustical arrangements, especially in his solo work, have drawn comparisons to folk singer

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''Shapes & Shadows''

Ben Ottewell's first solo album, ''Shapes & Shadows'', is not a huge departure from his material with Gomez, but it has its differences. It is more low-key, melancholy, and acoustic driven than Gomez. One music critic says "lyrically and thematically, Shapes and Shadows (the album) is a very thoughtful and mature recording, as if Ottewell is taking issues of love and relationships discussed in Gomez's back catalogue to another, more mature level".

''Rattlebag''

In an interview with Guitar World, Ben revealed "When it came to writing for Rattlebag I started afresh and all the songs were written specifically with the album in mind over a 12-month period, perhaps making the album a little more cohesive. I'm a great believer in the power of the riff, not just in the bombastic Zeppelin sense but also the more cyclical blues or folk licks, and most of the songs are written with a riff as the foundation. Once these ideas were formed, some as just a verse, some almost full songs, I'd take them to Sam is writing partner, Sam Genders, formerly of English folk band Tunng, now of Diagrams (band)">Diagrams A diagram is a symbolic representation of information using visualization techniques. Diagrams have been used since prehistoric times on walls of caves, but became more prevalent during the Enlightenment. Sometimes, the technique uses a three- ...

Career

''Shapes & Shadows''

''Rattlebag''

Personal life

Discography

Studio albums

Gomez discography

Studio albums

References